“Any good photography is a successful synthesis of technique and art.” Andreas Feininger

Discover the magic of Black & White Photography and learn some of the secrets the masters use to make stunning photographs. Explore the fundamentals of light and time and no longer be a slave to the Auto setting. Master the manual functions of your 35mm SLR film camera and unlock its true potential. Get to grips with the complete darkroom workflow from processing film to printing your own black & white photographs.

Perfect for those with no experience or those looking for a full refresher. If you don't have a SLR camera we have a limited number of available for use during the course - please ask about availability at time of booking.

Course Outline

Week 1 Capture, technical notes, discussions, art context.Understand the fundamentals of light and time in balancing an accurate exposure; No longer be a slave to the Auto setting! Know how to utilise the Manual functions of their 35mm SLR camera;Understand film types, film speed, depth of field, different lenses and how to use them creatively; Appreciate photography within an art context - Begin to look at the work of other photographers.

Assignment: You will be given a project and one roll of B&W film to be shot for the second week

Week 2 Film processing:Learn how to process B&W film by hand in Stills’ darkrooms. We will discuss different film types and chemistry, as well as best practice procedures for film handling. Appreciate photography within an art context - Look at the work of photographer Nan Goldin

Week 3 Contact printing:Gain an appreciation of general darkroom procedures; Experiment with photograms, learn contact printing and printing from negatives. All paper and chemistry will be provided

Week 4 Darkroom printing:This last session will allow participants to keep on printing with some one to one attention. We will also explore some basic dodging and burning and other printing techniques to get the most from your negatives.

Stills uses ILFORD PHOTO chemicals on this course that can potentially pose a risk to pregnant and breast feeding women and asthmatics.

We take every care to ensure good working practices and adequate ventilation in our darkrooms. If you feel you may be adversely affected, please see below for links to the Safety Data Sheets on the relevant chemicals you will be using during the course, or visit the Health and Safety section of Ilford’s website for further information.

General Guidance Notes for Pregnant and Breast Feeding Women and Asthmatics

From a risk assessment standpoint, provided all necessary control measures (such as good working practices, adequate ventilation, and the use of appropriate PPE) are in place then pregnant and breastfeeding women should be able to continue to work safely with photochemical products.

Inhalation is the main route by which fumes and gases enter the body, making good ventilation a high priority. Exposure to irritant chemicals that would not affect most people may provoke an asthma attack in a person who already has asthma. For example, low levels of the gas sulphur dioxide can be produced by some ILFORD PHOTO processes. Most individuals would be unaffected but asthmatics may suffer adverse affects.

•ILFORD PHOTO products include no known human carcinogens, and no substances to which phrase R46 (May cause heritable genetic damage) or R64 (May cause harm to breastfed babies) applies.

•Most ILFORD PHOTO developers use hydroquinone, and their classification therefore includes R40 (Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect) and R68 (Possible risk of irreversible effects).

•Some ILFORD PHOTO chemicals use boric acid or borates. These substances are classified as toxic for reproduction. As a result, the classification of some of the powder developers includes R60 (May impair fertility) and R61 (May cause harm to the unborn child).